Democracy Impacts

Report Calls for UK, EU to Reach Extradition Deal

July 27, 2017

A report by the UK House of Lords' EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee calls on the UK government to reach an agreement on a post-Brexit extradition arrangement with the EU similar to the current system under the European Arrest Warrant to ensure there is no interruption in extraditions between the EU and Britain after the departure of the UK from the bloc.
EU, UK Remain at Odds over Key Brexit Issues

July 26, 2017

Politico reports that, at the close of the first round of substantive talks on Brexit, EU and UK negotiators have acknowledged key differences over the Brexit "divorce settlement" bill and EU citizens rights, including over the possible jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) in cases involving EU citizens living in the UK.
UK Cabinet Prepares for Free Movement During "Transition"

July 26, 2017

The Guardian reports that the British cabinet is prepared to allow free movement of nationals from EU member states into the UK for up to four years during a "transition period" after the official date of Brexit.
EU Opposes UK Plan for Criminal Background Checks

July 26, 2017

Politico reports that a "major sticking point" between EU and UK officials in negotiations over Brexit to this point has been whether Britain can perform criminal background checks on all EU citizens living in the country who apply for "settled status" after the country leaves the bloc.
EU Body Seeks Stronger "Solidarity Corps"

July 26, 2017

The European Committee of the Regions has issued an opinion praising the EU's establishment of a "European Solidarity Corps" to provide job opportunities and cultivate pro-EU sentiments in youth across the bloc and calling for a strengthened local and regional role in the implementations of the Solidarity Corps' initiatives.
French, German Leaders Voice Tentative Support for EU Treaty Change

July 25, 2017

The Independent reports that, at their first meeting in Berlin, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed their willingness to support EU treaty amendments that grant greater authority to the supranational entity to resolve policy issues - including, according to President Macron, through a "common asylum policy."
EU Paper: ECJ Must Enforce Brexit Agreement

July 25, 2017

Bloomberg reports that, in draft Brexit negotiating directives circulated by EU officials in May, EU institutions and national governments demanded that the EU and UK grant the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) a central role in enforcing the provisions of any post-Brexit deal, meaning that the ECJ would retain authority in Britain following its exit from the EU.
Observer Questions Democratic Legitimacy of EU Integration

July 24, 2017

In a recent article, author Andrew Spannaus analyzes the history of attempts by EU and national officials to avoid the results of popular votes rejecting transfers of power to the supranational organization and questions the democratic legitimacy of the bloc's ultimate goal of becoming a "United States of Europe."
Booth: UK Cannot Submit to Post-Brexit ECJ Authority

July 24, 2017

Stephen Booth of the British think tank Open Europe writes that demands contained in the European Commission's Brexit negotiating guidelines, released in early May, for the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) to maintain jurisdiction over EU citizens living in the UK after Brexit "are never going to fly" with the UK Prime Minister.
Committee: Retain UK-EU Energy Relationship

July 21, 2017

The British Parliament's Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy Committee recently called on the UK Government to remain in the EU's Emissions Trading System, which allocates permission to release set amounts of carbon emissions, and warned against a potentially "disastrous" exit from the EU's nuclear regulatory body following its departure from the bloc.